It is desirable to fix a curved windshield to a boat hull in a boat assembly process to provide better aerodynamic performance and improve the appearance of the final product. In order to accommodate a curved windshield, the windshield mounting angle must be variable during installation, thus requiring a specially configured bottom trim element that can adequately support the windshield while being positionable at different angles for securement to the boat.
Suitable bottom trim elements are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,815,410 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,453,841, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. These bottom trim elements generally include a curved bottom portion that can be secured to the boat hull at varying angles. In installation, it is important to properly seal the connected portions between the bottom trim elements and the boat hull.
To facilitate installation, various structural arrangements have been proposed such as sponge gaskets or caulk in order to seal the bottom trim element while accommodating tolerances and stabilizing the part during installation. Caulk, however, is messy and time-consuming to install. The material also frequently gets distorted during the boat assembly process. Moreover, final buffing of the product can smear the caulk and deteriorate the final product's appearance.
Sponge rubber gaskets may be faster to install, but the material does not hold up well to a finishing buffer, the environment or routine wear and tear. Dense rubber provides a better appearance and stands up well to assembly finishing processes and the environment, but dense rubber material is not easily compressed and thus would not seal without very closely spaced windshield mounting fasteners.
Still further, in a typical windshield installation process, holes are pre-drilled in the boat hull through which fasteners secure the windshield bottom trim elements. Prior to fixing the windshield in place, the hull holes are caulked in an effort to ensure that the seal is maintained after the windshield is screwed down and thereby prevent water from migrating below deck. This procedure of course adds time to the installation process.